NJ Wrestling: Four New Jersey wrestlers win a national title

Jimmy Lawson of Manchester Township ended his career in style –- again.

Three
weeks after becoming the state’s second three-time heavyweight
champion, Lawson earned his first national heavyweight crown in his
final high school match Sunday as the 21st National High School Coaches
Association tournament concluded in Virginia Beach, Va.

Lawson,
who earned a 7-3 decision over Lance Moore of New York in the final,
was one of four New Jersey wrestlers to come away with a national
title.

Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerChris Villalonga of Blair Academy won the national title at 160 pounds on Sunday at the 21st National High School Coaches Association tournament in Virginia Beach, Va.Lawson, the Outstanding Wrestler of the NJSIAA
tournament, joined Jordan Beverly (145 pounds) of Point Pleasant Boro,
Chris Villalonga (160) of Blair and Billy George (189) of Long Branch
as national champions.

New
Jersey, which also boasted two third-place winners, three fifth-place
winners and one seventh-place winner, won the 46-state team event with
233.5 points. New York came in a distant second with 190.

Any wrestler who finished among the top eight earned All-America status.

“It
feels great,” Lawson, who was tabbed The Star-Ledger Wrestler of the
Year last weekend, said. “I never participated in one of the national
tournaments before, so I wanted to come down here and compete. This
just puts an exclamation point on my career.”

Lawson will head to Monmouth University in the fall, but will play football exclusively.

Beverly,
third in the state at 140 pounds, wasted little time in his match with
Arkansas’ Grant Sullivan. Beverly scored two takedowns and then earned
three back points in the first period to gain a 7-0 lead. He eventually
won by 13-3 major decision.

“This definitely makes up for the
states,” Beverly, who was fifth in the state at 125 pounds as a
sophomore and second at 130 a year ago, said. “This gives me a lot of
confidence moving on to the college level.”

Beverly, who was 41-1 this season, will wrestle at Rutgers.

Villalonga and George each won their titles in dramatic fashion.

Villaonga,
from Pompton Lakes, fought off a left shoulder injury and snapped a 3-3
tie against Georgia’s Joel Smith with a spin-behind takedown with two
seconds remaining in the third period to earn a 5-3 victory.

“I
didn’t wrestle my best and my shoulder was bothering me,” Villalonga,
who is bound for Cornell, said. “But I did what I had to do. I fought
through it and got the takedown. It feels fantastic.”

George,
who won the 189-pound title at the NHSCA Junior tournament last year,
had to go to three overtimes against Indiana’s Braden Atwood before
prevailing, 2-1.

“I was able to ride him out and get the job
done,” George, who was third in the state at 189 this winter and will
wrestle for Cornell, said. “It took a lot of heart. I’m so happy and so
proud. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I didn’t get
the win.”

Shanaman also was involved in a thriller, but
surrendered a takedown to Missouri’s Brandon Wilbourn with two seconds
left in the third period and lost, 4-2.

New Jersey’s other
medalists, who also earned All-America status, were B.J. Young (third
at 130 pounds) of Jackson; Michael Morales (third at 135) of Brick
Memorial; Nick Heilmann (seventh at 135) of South Plainfield; Kurtis
Becker (fifth at 140) of Kingsway; Nick Visicaro (fifth at 160) of Long
Branch and Canaan Bethea (fifth at 171) of Trenton.

"New Jersey
had a great tournament," Lawson said. "I was able to hang out with a
lot of the other guys from the state that were here. To finish No. 1
down here as a team means a lot."